Environmental Resources
Unit A
Problem Area 1
Exploring Natural Resources
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What is around you?
Examine your surroundings, write
down everything that is living or
was once living.
Think about what you are
wearing, where you are sitting,
what you are writing on, etc.
What would life on earth be like
without these items?
Learning Objectives
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Define and identify types of natural
resources.
Distinguish between renewable and
nonrenewable resources.
Explain the difference between
inexhaustible and exhaustible
resources.
Explain the concept of interdependent
relationships.
Terms
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Air
Atmosphere
Climate
Domestication
Environment
Exhaustibility
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Exhaustible
natural resource
Fossil fuels
Inexhaustible
natural resource
Minerals
Natural resource
dependence
Terms
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Natural resources
Nonrenewable
natural resources
Renewability
Renewable
natural resources
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Soil
Water
Water cycle
Weather
Wildlife
Wind
I. Types of Natural Resources
A. Natural resources Resources that occur
naturally in nature
B. The environment is the
conditions that surround us
I. Types of Natural Resources
C. Natural resources cannot be
made by man, but man can help
ensure their continued existence
D. People need many natural
resources to live
E. Other natural resources are used
to make life easier
II. Natural Resources Groups
A. Air and wind
B. Fossil fuels
C. Minerals
D. People
E. Soil
F. Sunlight
G. Water
H. Wildlife
A. Air and Wind
1. The atmosphere is the area
surrounding the Earth
a. Air is the mixture of gases that
surrounds the Earth
b. Wind is the movement of air
c. Water vapor, gases, and
particulate can be found in the
atmosphere
A. Air and Wind
2. Weather - the conditions found in
the atmosphere
a. includes moisture, humidity,
temperature, movement, and
pressure
A. Air and Wind
3. Climate of an area helps
determines which natural
resources are found in an area
a. Climate - the condition of the
weather in a particular location
(rainfall, temperature,
humidity, etc.)
B. Fossil Fuels
1. Fossil fuels are natural resources
used to provide energy
a. Fossil fuels took millions of years to
make
b. The remains of decomposed plants
and animals
c. Their energy comes from the energy
produced by the plants and animals
2. Fossil Fuel Groups
a. Petroleum - liquid form of fossil
fuels used to make gasoline and
oils
2. Fossil Fuel Groups
b. Natural gas - gaseous form of
fossil fuels used in heating and
cooking
2. Fossil Fuel Groups
c. Coal – solid form of fossil fuels
used in factories and in
generating electricity
C. Minerals
1. Natural inorganic substances on
or in the earth
2. Abiotic
3. Mined from the earth
4. Iron, brick, jewelry, coins,
monuments, and concrete
D. People
1. Help determine how other natural
resources are used
2. As population increases, natural
resource use will increase
3. Wise use of resources is
necessary to ensure their future
availability
E. Soil
1. Outer layer of the earth’s surface that
supports life
2. Plants grow in soil, humans and other
animals eat plants, humans and animals
produce waste that provides nutrients for
plants to grow, and the cycle continues
3. soil can be easily eroded by misuse and
neglect
4. Soil must be protected in order for it to
continue to be a resource
F. Sunlight
1. The source of almost all the energy
used on Earth
2. The light from the sun produces solar
energy
a. Autotroph, Heterotroph,
Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration
b. People can also use this energy by
using solar collectors
G. Water
1. A tasteless, colorless, liquid natural
resource
2. ALL living things need water to
survive
3. Water is a naturally occurring
compound made up of 2 atoms of
Hydrogen and 1 atom of Oxygen
4. Water can be found in three forms,
solid, liquid, and gas
5. Water Cycle
a. Movement of
water from the
earth’s surface to
the atmosphere
and back to the
surface
b. Water is
continuously
renewed/recycled
through the
hydrologic cycle
H. Wildlife
1. All of the plants and animals that
live in the wild
2. Have not been domesticated
III. Renewable and Nonrenewable
Resources
A. Renewability is whether or not a
resource can be restored after
use
B. Renewable Natural Resources
1. Natural resources that can be
replaced after use
2. They can be renewed and used
again, but it may take many years
3. Soil is a renewable natural resource,
however it is not a fast process
4. Plants and water are other renewable
natural resources
C. Nonrenewable Natural Resources
1. Natural resources that cannot be
replaced after use
2. Minerals and fossils fuels are two
types
IV. Inexhaustible and Exhaustible
Natural Resources
A. Exhaustibility - whether or not a
natural resource can be
replenished as it is used
B. Inexhaustible Natural Resource
1. A resource that is continuously
replenished; the supply of the
resource will not run out
2. Sunlight, wind, and water are
inexhaustible natural resources
C. Exhaustible Natural Resource
1. A resource that is available in limited
quantity and can be completely used
2. Can be replaceable or irreplaceable
a. replaceable natural resource can be
replenished - most wildlife
b. irreplaceable natural resource - gone
once it is used - fossil fuels and
most minerals
V. Interdependent Relationships
A. ALL natural
resources
depend on
each other
B. This means that
all living things
depend on
each other
V. Interdependent Relationships
C. Humans need animals for food,
clothing, and work
D. Plants are used for food,
medicine, and oxygen
V. Interdependent Relationships
E. Plants depend on animals and
humans
F. Animals give off carbon dioxide
that the plants need
G. When organisms die, they
decompose releasing minerals
back into the soil for plants
Review/Summary
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Define and identify types of natural
resources.
Distinguish between renewable and
nonrenewable resources.
Explain the difference between
inexhaustible and exhaustible
resources.
Explain the concept of interdependent
relationships.